Forsyth keen to make up for Tokyo disappointment

ALAN FORSYTH had what might have seemed to be the best seat in the house for Great Britain’s hockey odyssey at last summer’s Olympics but it felt worse than a restricted view.

Not to play, even when Covid prompted a late rule change that permitted reserves like him to step in as required, was not the stuff of dreams. The Scot, harshly excluded, moved on from Tokyo with maximum haste.

At next month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, however, Forsyth will be central to Scotland’s chances having ended his long and profitable stint at English giants Surbiton to go Dutch last season for a fresh challenge with HGC.

“Honestly, I think most hockey players if you ask them, ‘would you like to play in Holland?’ the answer would probably be yes,” he said. “So it’s always something that may be at the back or front of people’s minds. And for me, it was the perfect opportunity because there’s no real home nations or GB stuff until 2023. So it’s been an opportunity for me to go out and still get lots of hockey and lots of top games.

“You’re up against a different style each week or a different player, so no matter when you step on the pitch, you’re always looking at what else you can improve on.”

His father, Derek, will be Scotland’s head coach in Birmingham. A power dynamic that has broken many, theirs,

Forsyth insists, is a relationship where business must often trump personal concerns.

“It’s fairly straight up,” he said. “At hockey, it is very much player and coach. I prefer that. And the type of people we are, we don’t ever look at it as anything else. It’s how I’ve been brought up and how I’ve grown up. When you’re at home, sometimes it’s player-coach too.”